Page 111 of Love In The Spotlight

“It’s me,” he said. “She’ll stay with me.”

“Your name is in the computer as the next of kin to receive information,” Dr. Charleston said. “We’ll keep you updated, but for now, it’s just a waiting game.”

“Can I see her?” he asked.

“Sure. I’ll have a nurse bring you back.”

When he was brought to Maryn, he didn’t even recognize her. Her face was swollen on one side. One eye was already black and red, there was dressing over her head where they’d shaved a section and drilled into it.

No way he could let Elsie see this. Not until Maryn was awake and could talk to her daughter.

“It’s always something,” he said to Maryn. “You just like to stress me out.”

He reached for Maryn’s hand and held it, but it felt so cold. He refused to let that thought stay.

“I’ve got to go get Elsie. Don’t worry. She’ll be fine with Uncle Nix until you’re on your feet again. Guess it’s a good thing you talked me into buying that house. More room than I need but a place for you both while you recover. I’ll take care of you two.”

Still no response to his words and then machines started to go off sounding as if the building was going to come crashing down. Little did he know it was his world that was going to collapse.

“What’s happening?” he asked when a nurse came rushing in.

“Her heart rate is spiking. I need you to step out now.”

He left the room and let them work on Maryn only because it all but killed him to stand there and stare as multiple people were poking, prodding and then pulling out paddles when one line went flat on the screen. He picked up his phone and called his mother.

“Phoenix, what’s going on?”

“Mom, I need you to come.”

Which might be the hardest thing for him to say for a man who never wanted to ask for help from anyone.

Chapter One

Floating Around In Life

Two Weeks Later

“Why are you looking for another job?”

Crystal Winston sat in the chair in her room. It was easier to talk on the phone to her older sister, Taylor, here and have privacy from her roommates.

“I’m not making enough money where I am,” she said.

Just one more failure in her life. The last thing she wanted was to be judged for all the poor decisions she’d made or things she couldn’t see through or stick out.

“There isn’t a lot of money in childcare,” Taylor said. “Which is funny when I think of how much I’m paying for it.”

She snorted. Her sister had been a single mother for years. But now Taylor was married to the owner of the construction company she went to work for in upstate New York when she relocated years ago. Taylor and Reed had two more kids and her sister seemed to have the perfect life in her eyes.

Most of her siblings did, and here she was the baby of the family floating around like the airhead they’d all said she was.

“The money isn’t there to pay the staff,” she said. “I’ve been picking up some part-time babysitting gigs while I can. I even have my name on this website for it.”

“That helps,” Taylor said. “Being older, I know I’d consider you over a teenager.”

“It does,” she said. “But I do charge more. I find around here they are willing to pay it. But the problem is, I’m working like sixty hours a week between them both and it’s still not enough for me to get my own place.”

That was the ultimate goal. She didn’t think it was anything extravagant and probably silly to most.

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